Pride
by Rsizzle34
Summary: After being harassed by a group of boys for her race, Ronnie Anne begins to learn and accept what it means to be Hispanic. Inspired by Hispanic Heritage Month and everyone facing hatred for who they are.
1. Chapter 1

**Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! I know that I haven't written or published anything in a while, but I wanted to publish a story to celebrate The Casagrande's getting their own show! This first chapter is kind of upsetting, so proceed with caution, but it WILL get better, promise. Enjoy!**

The day that changed everything was a Friday afternoon. A Friday afternoon at the Great Lakes City Cultural Heritage Museum, to be exact.

There, in the middle of a large room, sat a group of 5th graders from the local elementary school. And as much as they were glad to be out of the classroom for the afternoon, they couldn't help but want to fall asleep. This field trip was not only so tediously dull it made the kids want to rip their ears off, it was all about "learning" and "being more accepting of others"... blech! What kid wants to learn THAT?

In the front of the room stood a tall man with dark skin and a weird Elvis looking hairstyle. The nametag over his right breast read "Jorge," and he seemed to be more thrilled with whatever he was talking about than half the class.

"So can any of you kids tell me what inspired Frida Kahlo to paint in her distinctive style? Anyone?"

Silence. At this point, none of the class could care any less. They had already been at the museum for three hours, looking at random dioramas and displays about all kinds of different people. People… what could be more boring to a kid than that?!

Now, as they sat in front of a portrait of a lady with a unibrow to rival Anthony Davis, no one was in ANY mood to answer the question. And as poor Jorge looked around the group of kids,he couldn't help but feel for them. He threw up his hands in mock disappointment before continuing with his spiel.

"Alright, then… what about you, in the front? The girl in the purple hoodie?"

Ronnie Anne Santiago did NOT want to talk in front of the class. Like, AT ALL. There was a reason she had been looking down at the floor, JORGE… whatever, though. She cleared her throat nervously and gave her best answer.

"Uhhh… her husband? The guy that painted walls, right?"

A few kids snickered at the vague answer, which made Ronnie Annes face turn a bright shade of red. Her best friend Sid put her hand on her shoulder, comforting her.

"Well… sort of." Jorge said, not being able to hold back a small smile of amusement. "While Diego Rivera, who I assume you were talking about, did help influence her to paint, the art of Kahlo was more inspired by the cultural heritage of her home country, Mexico…"

Not THIS again…

Everywhere Ronnie Anne went in this stupid museum, there was something about Mexico. Mexico this, Mexico that, Mexican culture, dance, food, yadda yadda… Literally take any word and put "Mexican" in front of it and there would probably be a whole exhibit room dedicated to it in here. But that wasn't even the worst part. THAT was everyone turning their eyes to her whenever it was mentioned… kind of like right now. Almost everyone was glancing at her and whispering.

It was stuff like this that made Ronnie Anne feel uncomfortable. She knew that her family came from Mexico once upon a time… a place called Guerrero, if she remembered right. And of course, there was the food her family ate, the TV shows they watched, all of that stuff. But as far as Ronnie Anne was concerned, she wasn't Mexican. End of story. She lived in Great Lakes City, right? She'd never even BEEN to Mexico… the farthest south she'd ever been was Ohio!

And having everyone stare at her like she was an alien from a different planet? It gave her a weird feeling. Nothing that made her sick, but just a weird,bubbly feeling in the pit of her stomach. Not good.

"Oh, geez, we're out of time," Jorge said, knocking Ronnie Anne out of her thoughts. "It was WONDERFUL talking with you guys today! I hope you all learned something today! Our gift shop is located to the right by the blah blah blah blah…"

"Hey Ronnie Anne, you good?"

"Yeah, I'm fine…" she muttered to her friend Sid Chang. Sid may have only moved here three months ago, but she was the closest thing to a best friend Ronnie Anne had other than Lincoln… and THAT was a completely different story.

"Alright, you just looked a little sick there," Sid said, smiling. "You want to hit up the gift shop? I saw some of those orange ice pops you like in the freezer!"

Mmmmmm… Ronnie Anne might have felt bad, but an orange ice pop sounded like heaven right now…

A quick nod of the head was all the two needed to start making a break for the gift shop. Most of the other kids had already hightailed it out of the gallery, but there were a few stragglers talking to Jorge or other kids. The chaperones were all gathered around some picture by Picasso, and even they didn't seem to care…

The gift shop, which was located right next to the bathrooms, was loaded with all sorts of goodies. Keychains, postcards, build your own model car kits, yeah, this was very, very boring. But luckily, the only thing that mattered were those ice pops in the dinky cooler besides the door. At least five random kids were gathered around there, reaching in to grab anything.

"Alright, Sid, you know the drill. Go between the legs and trip them up, then I go in for the kill!"

"On it! Oh, and make sure that you snag a Coke for me!"

"Uhhh, duh, how could I forget? Let's roll!"

Like clockwork, the two girls put their plan into motion. Sid dropped to the floor and army crawled under the kids, and when the moment was right, she stood up. Three kids went tumbling onto the floor, and while their friends helped them up, Ronnie Anne swooped in to the cooler, grabbing two ice pops and a Coca Cola. In… and out.

"Perfect strategy!" Sid said, putting her stuff on the register. "I can't believe we don't do that more often!"

"Well, most people are bigger than us, so I don't think it would work as well…"

"Yeah, but still! Maybe we can army crawl between their legs and stand up next to the… uhhh, Ronnie Anne?"

Ronnie Anne wasn't paying attention. All of her focus was on those kids in the red hats in the back of the store. They were probably around fifteen or sixteen; high schoolers. And they were laughing. While looking at HER.

Now, Ronnie Anne knew that it was probably just some stupid guy thing, but her curiosity was getting the better of her. After all, she HAD been getting singled out all day for the stupidest reasons…

"Hey, uhhh, Sid, I'm gonna go check out the yo-yos. Wait here?"

"Oh yeah, sure!" Sid said, sliding her stuff over. "I'll wait here!"

Ronnie Anne nodded her head and began to walk over towards the back of the giftshop, towards the stopped, though, and making sure not to be seen, she walked over to the aisle one over from them. Making sure not to make any noise, she leaned against the shelf, making sure that her ear was-

"We're right here, kid."

Ronnie Anne jumped, turning toward the voice. One of the boys was standing to her left, blocking her off from the register.

"Spying ain't cool, girl. Especially not here."

"Look, I don't want any trouble," she said, walking the other way. "I just, uhh, wanted to find my- OOF!"

She fell to the ground, and looking up, she saw the other two boys, their arms crossed around them. This was NOT good.

"Watch where you're going!" The boy behind her taunted. Ronnie Annes face turned red again, and she turned around flustered.

"Look, just let me go back to my group! I don't want any trouble!"

"Oh, really?" the boy snickered, fixing his hat. "Then why are you spying on us, Tonk?"

Tonk? She didn't know what that meant, but did it matter? She was getting out of this mess, one way or another. She was busy rolling up her sleeve when she managed to see what the boys cap said.

"Make America Great Again."

Oh, no…

The boy noticed Ronnie Anne stopping, and seeing her face, he grinned.

"Like the hat, kid? Got it at a rally for the guy. You like him?"

The other two boys laughed out loud as Ronnie Anne stuttered an answer.

"I… I don't really pay…"

"Oh, wait! Guys, she doesn't know English! I'm so stupid!"

He clonked his open palm on his head, making the boys laugh even harder. Ronnie Annes face lost color as the boy kept talking.

"Yeah, my mistake, ha! Let me try again. Hola. Me name Jake. This Dave and Matt. We, Are, American!"

By this point, "Dave" and "Matt" were laughing harder than ever. Ronnie Anne was paralyzed. She had heard her family talk about people like this, she remembered being told what to do in a situation like this, but she never imagined it would actually happen… on a school trip, noe the less…

"Just, just leave me alone, alright?! Let me go back to my group!"

"HA!" Jake blurted out. "That's gold! The only place people like you should be going is back to where you came from!"

By this point, the angry tears were beginning to form in Ronnie Annes eyes. She closed them tight and tried to walk away, but the boys stood in her way.

"Go back to Mexico, you Beaner!"

"Tacohead!"

"Wetback!"

Finally, a clear thought came to Ronnie Anne's head. While the boys continued to laugh, she turned around and dove under the legs of Jake. He tried to grab her foot as she crawled under his feet, but he was too slow. Finally, Ronnie Anne was free.

"Yeah, run away!" he said loudly as Ronnie Anne walked away fast. "Trumps gonna deport you, you SPIC!"

That was the last straw. The room began to spin, and the tears began to flow openly as Ronnie Anne got back to her friend.

"Hey, did you get your yo-yo? I paid for our… Ronnie Anne?"

She said nothing as she breezed past her best friend. Sid knew something was wrong and tried to go after her, but she stopped at the door of the gift shop. Ronnie Anne, though, began to run.

All the way to the front of the museum. All the way down the stone staircase, all the way across the street, and all the way to the school bus. She got on, went to the back, and plopped down into her seat.

And there, for the first time since moving to Great Lakes City, Ronnie Anne sobbed.


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm not going to lie; you guys have surprised me. I didn't expect all the positive reactions I've gotten so far. So really, thank you guys for the kind words. It means a lot to me. :)**

**That being said, I gotta address something. This is NOT going to be a political story or a Donald Trump slander piece. As much as I love politics and talking about politics (check out my story The Art of The Deal if you want that,) this story isn't about that. This story is about being proud of who you are. And right now, when people are being killed while grocery shopping for being a different race, a story like this is needed more than ever. I know that ****fan fiction**** isn't a productive way to do that, but it's a fun way. And really, I'd rather influence 200 people and start a discussion rather than keep the opinion to myself. And yeah, I had guys in MAGA hats in the first chapter. It isn't my fault that a big chunk (not a majority) of Trump supporters feel the same way as the boys do. A very loud 3 percent has much more influence than a quiet 97 percent.**

**I want to start discussion. I want people to talk and express their feelings in the comments. That's how we become a more understanding society, NOT keeping our opinions to ourselves. When you read this story all the way through when I'm done, I want you to realize that we all have our struggles. People will ALWAYS be more important than politics. End of discussion.**

**Thank you for reading my story. I'm going to leave my favorite quote by Thomas Paine, which I will one day tattoo on my chest. Enjoy the story, friends. :)**

**_"The world is my country, all mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion."_**

Weekday afternoons at the Casagrande bodega were usually the quiet ones. For some unfortunate reason, though, today was not a usual day. The mercado was PACKED. To Bobby Santiago, it seemed that when one customer left, about four came in with their entire direct family in tow. So much for a relaxing day of watching Adios, Ana, Adios on repeat…

"Here you go, Maybelle! A bunch of bananas, no bruises!"

"Hmmm…" the old lady hummed, examining the bundle. "Now what's this brown spot here, Bobby? I thought I said no bruises!"

"Huh? Maybelle, there's nothing there…"

"Oh, you calling me a liar, then?!" she said angrily, snatching her bananas back. "Well you can say goodbye to MY business!"

"Yep… see you tomorrow…" he grumbled as she walked out the door. Even though there were much more convenient options around the neighborhood (cough cough Hi 'N' Buy), Maybelle and anyone else that shopped at the mercado came back. He still couldn't tell if it was because they knew Hector or that they felt important there… maybe it was just pure coincidence. Who knew? The important thing, as in all businesses, was money. Customer relations were a very welcome bonus.

"Afternoon, Bobby!" Maybeline said, plopping down a basket of groceries. "Busy day, no?"

"You're telling me…" he smiled, ringing up her produce. "I don't know what the big deal is today. First we have no customers and now…"

"It's probably because Hi 'N' Buy raised prices," the hairdresser said, helping put stuff into bags. "New taxes on produce and stuff."

"Just another reason to shop here. All of our produce is home grown!"

"Any reason to visit this place is a good reason…" Margarita said slyly. A wink, and she was gone. Bobby rolled his eyes; Margarita was a bigger flirt than Paris Hilton. Did he mind? Not at all, but he DID have a girlfriend, so it was all in good fun… right?

"Bobby! Where's your grandfather! He HAS to hear about what happened with the Millers on Tuesday!"

"Calm down, Vito!" Bobby said, holding his hands out to settle the man. "He's upstairs sleeping. Can you come by later tonight?"

"-sigh- I suppose… he's gonna want to hear this one, though! Can you believe that their Uncle Nick was actually-"

"Next!" Bobby yelled, shooing Vito away. He hated more than anything to be rude, but the man was working alone during rush hour. He couldn't just talk to everyone, and luckily for him, they understood that. Vito got the hint, and with a quick nod he was out the door. Bobby checked the clock; 4:15. Only two hours till closing time…

The door swung open, and an all too familiar face walked in.

"Ronnie Anne! About time you came back!" He said, juggling coins as his sister walked briskily past him. "The mercado is packed, and I-"

Ronnie Anne pivoted on her heel and faced her brother, a glint of anger in her eye.

"Would you just call it a grocery store for once, Bobby?! Like it is?! Is that too hard for you?!"

Bobby felt his mouth open as Ronnie Anne grabbed a drink from the cooler and walked out. Sure, he had seen his sister angry plenty of times, but in all the years he'd lived with her, she hadn't lashed out like that…

"Hey buddy, come on! There's a line here!"

Bobby sighed and turned back to his work. He was concerned and all, but that could wait until he was done. Time is money, after all. And for the merca- err, "grocery store," money was what was important…

Right?

Ronnie Anne swung the door to her apartment open, her face red with a horrible mix of emotions. She walked over to the couch and plopped herself down, grabbing the remote and gripping it until her knuckles turned white. A quick press of the power button, and the TV was on.

"Previously, on _Adios, Ana, Adios-_"

**Click!**

"I'll save you, boy!"

"-gasp- El Falcon de Fuego!"

**Click!**

"El Señor de los Cielos will return after-"

**CLICK!**

Ronnie Anne threw the remote down onto the ground, causing the batteries to fall out. Whatever… it was better than watching those stupid shows anyways. She got up and sulked around the couch, not taking her furrowed brow off the ground once.

A whoosh of air flew above her head, and Sergio roosted on the couch arm.

"SQUAWK! What's up, Ronnie Anne?"

She lifted her head and glared at the bird, her teeth bared in a snarl. Sergio jumped back, bumping into the side table in the process.

"AHH! Niña de miedo, SQUAWK!"

"Speak ENGLISH, you dumb bird!" she yelled after him as he flew to the closest room. She couldn't stay in this room anymore… it was giving her bad vibes. She walked over to the door of her room and swung it open, revealing the one thing Ronnie Anne needed; sanctuary.

She jumped onto her bed and laid her head down, staring up to the roof. She had been trying her best not to think about what had happened at the museum earlier, but it was pretty much pointless at this point. The words of the boys, as much as she hated to say it, really got to her.

Ronnie Anne knew about this kind of thing; her mom had sat her down one day a few years ago and talked to her about these kinds of people - the angry ones who called people names because they didn't like her skin. But did she ever really think she'd be in that situation? Absolutely not! Does anyone? She had heard kids at school joke about walls and deporting people, but those were just jokes, right? These? These were real. VERY real.

But what could she do? She couldn't tell the museum; so many people came through that place each day it would be almost impossible to find them. DEFINITELY not Sid… even if they were friends, she couldn't just TELL her this kind of thing. She had asked what had happened when she got on the bus, but Ronnie Anne had moved away from her and sat alone on the ride home.

And her family? Definitely NOT. Could you imagine what they would say to her? "Oh, it's no big deal, you need to move on, those guys weren't gonna hurt you.." Even though her mom said that she could trust her with anything, this seemed like a stretch. And besides, what could they do to make anything better?

Again, the tears were starting to flow, but Ronnie Anne stopped them early. She was getting a headache from all the tears at this point… it was kind of pathetic to her, to be honest. Here she was, the tough-as-nails girl in her friend group, and she couldn't even deal with some name calling.

Name calling…

A flutter of black caught her eye. She looked up and saw that the letters on her "familia" wall were falling down. Ronnie Anne grumbled to herself and got up to fix it, but stopped before pushing the letter back into place.

She began to think… didn't they have extra letters somewhere? Her family had bought a whole set of letters…

Some quick digging through under her bed was enough. Ronnie Anne turned back to the wall, and with a deep breath, took the I and A at the end of the word off the wall. A bit of tape later, and a Y was up in their place.

From "Familia" to "Family". It may have looked kind of weird, but she was fine with that. After all, you can't be shot if there's no ammo in the gun, right?

Right?


End file.
